Larry(LL)昨晚因为赶工作而一夜没睡。他正在跟李华(LH)讨论睡眠问题。
LL: Well, Li Hua, I've got to get back to work, and then go home and catch some zzzzs.
LH: 你要回去工作,然后回家,还要抓什么?Catch some zzzs是什么意思呀?Catch是抓住, zzzs是什么啊?
LL: Catching some zzzs means to get some sleep.
LH: 嗯,catching some zzzs就是睡觉!可为什么说catching some zzzs呢?Z不是英语的最后一个字母吗?
LL: You're right. "Z" is the last letter of the alphabet. But many people associate the sound of the letter "Z" ( makes sound zzzzzzzzz) with the sound of snoring.
LH: 噢, z跟打鼾的声音有点像,所以把睡觉说成是: to catch some zzzs。
LL: And to catch some zzzs is to fall asleep, which is really what I need to do now.
LH: 我知道,你已经说了好几遍了, 你现在最需要的就是回去睡一大觉。那你就赶快走呀!
LL: But I still have some things I need to do at work.
LH: 办公室里还有事要做。那你睁不开眼睛怎么办?
LL: There is no need to worry! My desk isn't very comfortable, and the office is pretty loud. I don't think I could catch some zzzs at work, even if I wanted to.
LH: 你怎么那么可怜呢! 办公室里坐着不舒服,又吵吵闹闹的,想睡觉都睡不着。那你乘车回家的时候在车上睡一回儿吧。
LL: No, I better not do that. If I catch some zzzs on the bus, I might miss my stop.
LH: 那就没办法了。我看你今天只有喝咖啡了。 Larry, 跟你说了半天睡觉的问题,把我都说困了。 Maybe I need to go home and catch some zzzs, too!